Moon Maven | March Full Moon Ritual

Happy March full moon! Our only full moon of the month is this Sunday, March 12th. It’s in the sign of Virgo. The Sun is in the sign of Pisces. It happens to correspond with Daylight Savings Time and comes about one week before the Spring Equinox (for us Northern hemisphere dwellers).

The Equinox is observed by Wiccans, Neopagans, and some Witches as Ostara, a fertility festival that celebrates the season’s change from dark winter to brightening spring. On the same day is the Persian New Year as well as Holi, a major Hindu holiday that celebrates the triumph over good and evil.

March is the month in the Northern Hemisphere that begins the great bird migration. Keep your eyes up. Listen to birdsong – day dream about what lies inside that little winged creature’s skull, about what its bright eyes have seen and hunger for.

This is a transition month – more time with the stars slides into more sunshine. Nature visibly turns the wheel. Take time to tune into the needs of your body. Before we grow, we must nourish ourselves: physically, emotionally, mentally. Remember that moments are impermanent. Use awareness of this fact while maintaining emotional and physical care. These tools are free and can be accessed always. Challenges are meant to be acknowledged, worked through, and released. When we treat hardship as a beckoning for pause it becomes another bead on the string. It’s no longer so much a knot or broken clasp, obstructing the line.

The late, great, Zen-like artist Agnes Martin who was born this month 105 years ago tells us:
“…increase in disappointment does not mean going backward in the work. There is no such thing as backward in anything. There is increased and decreased awareness, that is all, and increased awareness means increased disappointments…That which seems like a false step is just the next step.”

For some, a rock bottom full moon, as it is darkest before the dawn (as they say). The full moon that glows above us just before the amount of sunlight overtakes the night into longer days, permeating our physical self with positivity, brightness and activity. In the United States, this full moon is commonly referred to as the Worm Moon, or the Sap Moon. The earth is defrosted, matter is softening. Sap, the blood of the trees, flows freely at this time. According to astrologer Diego Basdeo: “The astrology this month is great for growth through deep spiritual transformation that is oriented towards hope but is grounded in practical practice. Things might feel shaky, deep in the feels, but this can be the spur towards greater hope, beauty, and justice for all.”

In the Many Moons Workbook, contributor Jess Schreibstein urges us to find nourishment and grounding. She gives us two different recipes, vegetarian and meat-using, for bone broth. Jess writes:
“Where do we go from here? I think the answers come from our gut. You’ve probably heard the saying “trust your gut”. So much of our intuition comes from our stomach, not our heart or head. Our stomach sits right in our core, our solar plexus chakra, our center of power and identity. When we’re fed and nourished and our digestive fire is burning, we can propel forward with rooted purpose. We’re confident, balanced, energized, and empowered.”

We go around and around, our own cycles much like the moon. Be mindful of your own patterns and cycles – they will be illuminated at this time. Be mindful that everyone around is in his or her own periods of illumination, transformation, and that others’ reactions *might* not have much to do with you at all. Many of us are in the process of transition and transformation – how could we not be, right now, with what is in front of us, with what we all face, collectively?

At this moment, thank your self for being here. For coming out, for being present for who and how you are, no matter how messy and unknown you may feel right now. For witnessing your own transformation, and continuing to be present for the those around you: perfect strangers or strange bedfellows. To your promises to your self and for your community’s safety and well-being and nourishment. Take the time in your life to breathe, ground, and focus on what you can control. Remember, we can always transform any type of energy into something more useful for our higher self. That’s one of the qualities that makes us witches!

***Journaling questions: What is a pattern coming up for me that I must face, head on, in this present moment, in order to enact lasting change? How can this pattern be favorably shifted by remaining grounded and present? What would that look like? What would that mean for my physical self, my higher self? Those around me? Where is the discomfort merely a reminder of a former self, and where does it point me towards shedding a skin I am ready to cast off?

Grounding through Transformation Spread for March’s full moon:

Get yourself situated, and in a comfortable space with your favorite Tarot or Oracle deck.

Light a candle or two, and put your feet flat on the floor.

Imagine the energy of the earth moving into the soles of your feet.

With your breath, move her supportive, nurturing, regenerative energy through your body, slowly with each breath, to the top of your head.

You may wish to call in any animal spirits, earth spirits, or ancestors at this time.

Closing your eyes, connect with the moon, with the stars, with your guides.

Bring the celestial, high-frequency energy of the cosmos into your body through the crown of your head.

You may wish to call in any guides, goddesses, angels, spiritual helpers, or ascended masters at this time.

Pick up your deck and go through the cards.

Pick one card that most strongly describes how you feel right now, at the time of this full moon. (It’s ok if it is a less than incredible card! Please be honest with yourself, this is just for you.)

Put the card right side up on your table, floor, or area where you are doing your reading.

Now, pick one card that most strongly describes where you wish to be, what you want to transition into, after one Full Moon cycle, or sooner. Maybe it is by the time of the next Equinox. Change takes time and work!

Place the card above the first card, leaving space for you to pull other cards.

Now, shuffle the deck, while asking for guidance.

Pick 3 random cards. Place them in order in the space between your first and second cards.

Card 1: Where I am right now. What I must ground down into to transition more swiftly. What I must accept about my situation presently.

Card 2: The blocks or challenges I must be mindful of dealing with. The issues I must face, and figure out if I wish to break through the patterns I wish to transition out of.

Card 3: Next steps to take, new archetypes to embody to make this transition.